Mr. Pei! Don't force yourself into circles you can't fit into.

He couldn't deny it. Hua Jin's losses were all because of him.

He kept his head down, his gaze fixed on the floor, so he didn't see Pei Lin's gaze linger on his lowered eyelashes for a moment.

Pei Lin was silent for a few moments. "Forgive you? Probably... I'll have to wait until I calm down."

Shen Jicheng instantly tilted his head back, his peach blossom eyes reflecting the light from the corridor, sparkling brightly.

"What will it take for you to calm down?"

Pei Lin's dark and deep gaze fell on those eyes.

Suddenly, images flashed uncontrollably through his mind: tearful eyes, reddened corners of the eyes, slightly trembling eyelashes, and the look of someone who was both aggrieved and stubborn after being bullied so badly.

He couldn't help but swallow, then he looked away, his tone becoming distant and cold.

"I'll only be able to calm down if I throw you into the sea."

Shen Jicheng was stunned.

Pei Lin didn't look at him again and slammed the door shut. A clean, decisive bang.

Shen Jicheng finally lowered his head, turned around and left dejectedly.

The room was dark, with only the projector light shining on the white wall directly opposite.

The person in the picture has a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes, with a deliberately alluring curve at the corners, and a drawn-out syllable escapes from their lips.

"Brother Pei Lin—"

His waist was slender, and the hem of his pajamas was rolled up, revealing a small patch of fair skin on his side.

Pei Lin leaned against the headboard, legs crossed, remote control beside him. The projector's light flickered on his face, casting his expression in shifting light and shadow.

This is the surveillance video of Shen Jicheng deliberately seducing Pei Lin when he was locked in the room that day, which Pei Lin saved.

The next morning, Pei Lin got up early and went downstairs as usual.

His suit jacket was draped over his forearm, and his tie was untied, hanging loosely on either side of his shirt collar. He walked along, fastening his cufflinks as he went, his steps unhurried but showing no intention of pausing.

But as soon as he reached the corner of the stairs, a figure blocked his way.

Shen Jicheng had been waiting there for some time now, still wearing his light gray loungewear, his soft hair hanging down over his forehead, clearly indicating that he had just gotten up.

He held a plate in both hands, on which lay a reasonably presentable sandwich. He looked up, smiling exceptionally solicitously.

"I got up early to make you breakfast, would you like to try it?"

Pei Lin stopped, his gaze falling on the sandwich. He glanced at it briefly before speaking casually, "Really? You made this?" He lowered his eyes and slowly fastened his other cufflink.

"It doesn't look any different from usual."

Shen Jicheng smiled guiltily, then said confidently,

"Aunt Chen made it, but I helped carry the trays!"

He pushed the plate forward a little, raised his chin slightly, and added, "It's a very pretty plate that I specially chose to go well with breakfast."

Pei Lin glanced at the unremarkable white porcelain plate, his tone completely indifferent, "Well, you've really had a lot of trouble."

"It's no trouble at all!" Shen Jicheng seemed oblivious to the coldness in his words, and moved the plate closer. "Want to try some? Just one bite."

"No need." Pei Lin withdrew his gaze, walked around the plate, and said crisply, "I'm in a hurry."

After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at Shen Jicheng's face, as if he didn't want to stay for even a second longer, and walked towards the door.

Shen Jicheng paused for a moment, then picked up the tray and chased after him.

"Brother, just one bite."

This was the second time he had used that nickname since their falling out. The first time, Pei Lin interrupted him coldly, asking in a harsh tone if he was treating that nickname as a get-out-of-jail-free card. He hadn't dared to use it since.

Seeing that Pei Lin's anger seemed to have subsided somewhat, he mustered up the courage to try again. But Pei Lin did stop in his tracks. He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Shen Jicheng's face, without saying a word.

But Shen Jicheng understood everything from those calm eyes.

The smile on his face faded inch by inch, his fingers tightened slightly as he held the plate, his eyes lowered, and his voice became muffled.

"Fine... I called you the wrong name." Fine, I won't call you that. What's the big deal? There will be times when you beg me to call you that.

Pei Lin then looked away and turned to continue walking towards the door.

Suddenly, a crisp, drawn-out sound came from behind me.

"Honey~"

Pei Lin's back visibly stiffened for a moment.

Shen Jicheng stood at the top of the stairs, holding the white porcelain plate, his lips curling into an uncontrollable smile, his eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction.

"Honey, can you come home early today? I'm so lonely at home alone."

Pei Lin didn't turn around, didn't scold, and didn't even pause. His steps faltered for only a moment before he strode out the door.

Shen Jicheng stood there, holding his empty plate, his smug expression slowly fading. He looked down at the sandwich and muttered to himself,

"What kind of person is he... I called him 'husband' for the first time, and he completely ignored me." Then he picked up the neglected sandwich and took a big bite.

The air conditioning in the office was set rather low. Zhang Xu stood in front of his desk, holding a tablet, reporting on the events of the past few days.

"Mr. Pei, the Third Young Master has been much more well-behaved lately. He's probably a bit strapped for cash and hasn't been up to any more underhanded tactics." He flipped through the records.

"In addition, the offshore projects are progressing according to plan, although the construction period has been slightly extended. As for the labor situation..."

Pei Lin sat behind his desk, twirling a pen in his hand, his gaze fixed on something outside the window, clearly lost in thought. Zhang Xu continued...

"No objection, but a slight increase in salary may be necessary."

"Husband?" Pei Lin suddenly spoke, turning her head slightly. "What husband?"

Zhang Xu paused for half a second, then quickly continued, "The workers have no objections, only that their salaries need to be adjusted. What do you think…"

Pei Lin paused for a moment, then placed the pen back on the table, his tone indifferent.

"Oh, I see. You can decide for yourself."

Zhang Xu: "..." Why did he feel that their CEO Pei was a little disappointed?

Just as he was about to agree and leave, Pei Lin spoke again.

"I'm not working overtime tonight. I have something to do, so I'm going home early."

Zhang Xu paused, looked down at his schedule, and a subtle expression appeared on his face.

"Mr. Pei... there's a dinner party tonight, and we need your attendance."

Pei Lin's brows furrowed immediately. "Why was it scheduled for today?"

Zhang Xu maintained a polite smile, "...This was the time you personally set three days ago."

Pei Lin remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the still-open schedule on the table, without saying a word.

Zhang Xu tactfully withdrew and closed the door behind him.

Pei Lin was silent for a moment, then picked up the mouse, exited the work system, and opened the home surveillance camera.